reading_rainbowfandomcom-20200214-history
Dive to the Coral Reefs
"Dive to the Coral Reefs" is Episode 6 in Season 7. It originally aired on March 26, 1990. Synopsis At the beginning of the episode, LeVar and a friend of his are on a boat in the middle of the ocean. As they find a spot to anchor it, he welcomes the viewers. His friend, Mike White, is a ranger at the National Marine Sanctuary a few miles off Key Largo, Florida. It may look like they're out in the middle of nowhere, but they're at an underwater park where beneath the sea lives a living coral reef. Coral reefs are found only in warm, tropical water, so underwater photographers took pictures of them for books like the title one. LeVar tells the viewers, "It's not everyday we get to see a book come to life." Today he and Mike are going to, because they are going to scuba dive to the coral reef. A diver wears a special suit known as a wet suit. It is made to make you look more like a fish. Since there's no air underwater, a diver takes his or her own air in tanks. When you're there, you use a regulator to breathe. LeVar doesn't understand how it works, but to keep your mask from fogging up underwater, you spit, swish, and dunk it in water. And to move around under the ocean, divers use fins. Mike is going to be LeVar's diving partner because it's more safer and fun with the buddy-system. They check each other to see if they're ready and pretty soon, they dive into the sea. LeVar enjoys the feeling of moving underwater. It's kind of like being weightless in outer space. He shows the viewers that beneath the ocean, there's an underwater garden. He and Mike see soft coral, colorful Atlantic spades, a school of gray snappers, and one of grunts. Sea feathers feel like goose ones. LeVar is amazed to see a natural coral arch and he swims through it like the fish do. He shows the viewers a parrotfish and explains that they eat coral. When they digest it, they releases streams of sand. Scientists believe that beaches are made by them. One part of the reef LeVar and Mike see has elk horn coral, which grows like the horns of an elk or moose. LeVar shows the viewers a white-tipped coral called leafy fire. You should never touch that because it can sting you. His favorite is called brain coral. It's the one with ridges. Fish swim together so that predators or bigger fish don't eat them. As soon as LeVar and Mike surface, they tell each other how amazed they were to find out how much life there is around the coral reef. LeVar tells the viewers that coral may look strong and sturdy but to be honest, it's very fragile. People and other things can easily destroy it, so scientists are looking for ways to save it. Harold Hudson, the Reef Doctor, is one of many people who does just that. He and his assistant, Paige, look for coral that they can transplant to a location where it can start a new life in the sea. First, they measure it to track its growth before transplanting it to its new place. Next, they chisel away at its base without harming anywhere above it. It's always a good idea to look at it and not touch. It can't live out of water like fish, so they put it in a tank full of water on deck during the time it's above the surface. When they get to the place where they want to transplant it, they use a stable rock to chisel so the coral transplant can be anchored to it. When Dr. Hudson thinks it fits on there just right, Paige brings down a special underwater cement with her. They have to use it right away because it hardens very quickly. Now that the coral is where it will belong, in time it will bring back life that was lost for many years. LeVar explains that there's an amazing world under the sea. Scuba diving is one way to explore the underwater universe, but there's another way: snorkeling. All you do is lay on the surface and breathe through a snorkel tube. When LeVar first thought about visiting the underwater world, he thought it was going to be one of the most thrilling experiences of his life, and it has been. The most amazing thing about scuba diving is that there is always something new to see every time you do so. LeVar couldn't resist the beauty of the undersea life, so he dives back into the ocean to do some snorkeling while exploring some more of it. Review Books *Creatures of the Sea *How to Hide an Octopus & Other Sea Creatures *I Can Be an Oceanographer Category:Season 7 Category:Episodes